Refrigerated display case



Dec. 1, 1953 o s 2,660,864

REFRIGERATED DISPLAY CASE Filed Aug. 15, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l Harry A Morris INVENTOR.

ec. 1, 1953 H. A. MORRIS REFRIGERATED DISPLAY CASE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 15, 1951 INVENTOR.

I BY

Patented Dec. 1, 1953 ICE- REFRIGERATED DISPLAY CASE Harry A. Morris, Trenton, N. J assignor to C. V.

Hill & Company, Inc., Trenton,

poration of New Jersey Application August 15, 1951, Serial No. 241,956

7 Claims.

This invention relates to display cases adapted for use in self service stores and which for this purpose are open at the top for access to customers.

It is common practice to provide an open self service display case with a blower for circulating the air upward through an article supporting rack and about the articles in a display space to maintain them in a cool refrigerated condition. The air thus circulated is drawn off the top of the display space and returns to the refrigerated coils for recooling and recirculation. However, when the articles on display are arranged close together in the display space it is frequently difficult or impossible for the air to circulate sufficiently freely about the articles to insure uniform refrigeration thereof. In such cases the lower articles near the source of the cool air remain fresh and refrigerated while the upper articles may spoil from lack of refrigeration. Furthermore, if articles are removed from one end of a display case while they remain closely packed near the other end of the case the air will naturally flow toward the open portion of the case causing uneven refrigeration of the articles on display.

In accordance with the presentinvention'these objections to constructions of the prior art are overcome by providing a refrigerated display case with alternative air circulating channels whereby the air may be circulated in the normal manner upward through and about the articles on display when the articles are spaced sufiiciently' to avoid interference with the air circulation. However, in the event, the articles are closely packed in a manner to obstruct normal circulation, the refrigerated air will flow through an alternative passage into the upper portion of the display area so as to cascade downward over and about the articles 'on display insuring proper refrigeration'thereof under all conditions of use. I

The advantages'of the present invention are preferably attained by providing air circulating passages leading from therefrigerated .coils to l the space beneath a perforated article supporting rack. However, an alternative air duct is arranged so as to communicate'with the space below the article supporting rack and leading to openings above thenormal level of articles'in'the display space but well below the top ofthe case.

With this construction, when'the apertures in the article rack are obstructed the refrigerated air will flow through the alternative passageway and be discharged into display space above-the articles andinsure proper cooling thereof. More- N. J., a cor- 2 over, when one end of the case is closelypacked, while the other end is sparsely filled, the case provides for alternative cold air circulation whereby air will flow up through the article supporting rack to cool the items in the sparsely filled area while at the same time refrigerated air will flow downward over the closely packed objects in the other end of the case. v p N Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a refrigerated-display case with alternative 'air circulating passages which insure adequate refrigeration ofarticles on display regardless of the position or quantity of merchandise in the case, 7 a 1 Another object of the present invention is'to insure continuous and adequate refrigeration of articles on display in an open type refrigerated display case without necessarily maintaining identical air circulation in all parts of the display space.

These and other objects and advantages of the present construction will appear to those skilled in the art from the following description of a typical embodiment of the invention. In the drawings: 7 Fig. 1 is a perspective of atypical display case embodying the present invention .with parts thereofbroken away; Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing a portion of an alternative air circulating passage;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the construction illustrated in Fig. 1 showing normal air flow when the case is loosely packed; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 showing air circulation when the case is closely packed. In that form of the invention chosen for ,purposes of illustration in the drawing the display case embodies an insulated rear wall 3, an insulated bottom 5, insulated end walls! and. an

insulated front 11. The front, rear and end walls cooperate with the bottom of the case to define a display space 25 whichis open at the top for access to customers. a

A baiiie is arranged with its upper portion 9 spaced from the rear wall 3 to form an air circulating duct 20 provided with air inlet openings l8 located at or slightly below the level of the "front and end walls of the case, The lower porthe upper end of the air duct and circulate downward over the coils 22 and to the fan housing l9. From the fan housing the air is expelled through the outlet opening 4 adjacent the bottom of the display case and beneath an air deflecting and distributing plate 6. In the preferred construction shown the bottom of the case is provided on its upper face with a plate coil 8 consisting of refrigerantcarrying coils welded to a floor plate to further cool the air as it spreads out prior to flowing upward through the display space.

Within the lower portion of the display space there is located a perforated article supporting rack l which is spaced fromthebottom'of the case so as to define an air distributing chamber 21. Air issuing from the fan housing through the outlet 4 will therefore begcaused'to out through chamber 21 and issue through the openings in the perforated article supporting rack II) to enter the display space and flow substantially uniformly upward -tnerethrough.

Dur-iI-ig the normal operationxif the display ease when articles are relatively sparsely .distributed on the :article supporting rack ll], air will circulate upward -through :the rack 130 about the articles =-as shown :in 1 3 --returning to ."the ihle't'-ports 48 at :the upper end of the air duct 20. It will then flowdownward again .througih air-duet 2-0 sothat-the-air will be cooled and circr'ilated in a "manner to insure adequate refrigerat-ien of the=articleson display.

inord'er to-proriidefor that condition frequently-'encountered-wherein the articles arearranged on the article supporting -rack t0 so-closely to- "gether'as'to obstruct the flow :of air upward through the article supperting r-ack, the present "invention provides an "alternative air circulati'n'g passage M which-hasiriletopen-ings 42- communicatingwith-theair distributing chamber 21 beneath the article supporting rack l0 in the "lowerportion of the display case. E lie-passage extends upward 'adi'acerit "the lower portion H of"the-1ear-baliiie"defining *the 'coil chaniber 23 so that the air'isfurther" chilled. "-Itthen-continues to flow upward adjacent-the*portion 9 of the rearbafliaand issue's "-frorn 'por'ts 16 located "above "the normal level of the articles on -display, but .well below the top of theiiisplaycase withtliis construction when the-"display space is v well packed with merchandise -'or theopenings 1 inthearticlasupporting rack=are obstructed for any otherreascngaircooled-by the refrigerated coils 22 will issueinto the air 'di'stributing cham- "her" 21 'through the outlet opening '4 near the *bdttompfthedan *ti'c'les' in'con'tact with "in'g"its' upward flowthrough-Tactk Hiimpededit "will flow' through th'e'inlet'ports l2-a-nd the allterriative passageifd to'theoutlet opening lfixThe fair will befurthe'r "cooled exchange with the ifrigeratingflrnearis -in"-coil chari'iber' 23 so that whenitiflcwsiorward from opening lfi it will .cascadefIdownwar'dHover and about the rarticles'inlthe.display .space;to refrigerate them from -ab ove. After absorbing heat I {from the-particles: on: displayr the. air willrise and return-to -the reanair duct flfiithroughl-the upper :In order further tosavoid interference and: eddy currents.between-the cold airiissung from-ports s ead housing and'wilhccol i the -arit therack. Thereafter' -findpassage forward and downward toward the display space 25.

In many instances, the articles supported on the rack ID are spaced apart differently in one portion of the display space than in another so that both types of air circulation, namely that shown in Fig. 3 and that shown in Fig. 4, may take place simultaneouslyn'in {different ,portions of the display space so asto insure adequate relO frigeration of the articles on display under all -=conditions of use and arrangement. Furthermore, when the air is circulated as illustrated in Fig. 4, the closely packed articles in the display space are not only refrigerated by the air cas --ea ding down onto the upward surfaces of the "goods, but they are further refrigerated by their contact with the :air seeping upward through and about the articles adjacent the article supporting rack 10 whereby the articles on display even when closely packed as shown in Fig. 4 will be directly refrigerated at/all times. Thereafter as articles are removed Joy-eusta ers in the rig;-

mal courseof business -;in;s el;-f servicestores, he type of circulation will change autom a l -y 25 from thatof :Fig. flito-thatpf Fig. ,3 without ttention on the part of any attendant and gas required by conditions when ii'hgy ccunto pro de the most effective type of refrigeration cpns st cut with the arrangement of;mer chandise,in the display :space.

It w l b apparentzfromthe fo e o nadescrip- .tion that the position;andiar zangementof the aircirculating air ductfiit an :the'altematiye air circulative passage i-Aveami'of theirinlet andoutlet openin slm y buariedllidfi bl de ending upon the style '.and- ,typ e of thesd-isplay. in view thereof, it should be-understood that the particular embodiment {Of therinyention shown in the drawing is .intended .t03-be illustrativ ly :and is not rintendedetollmit 1343 scope of thenyention.

-I claim: '1. -A;refrig a 1&d d spla cas ha -mead play spa las dzi heu its side and at th, in but? b n Qn a ath op for :acwsst 1121, 1

tomers, said display case being provided yyith an airn -ircul t as duc al ring in e =:Qn n'1 ;s i

. openings located: t;-:a;-p.Qin 0 level of ;aart.i.c1es ,1 in z-saidcdisplay pac din or ibelow 3 1 ofzsaidzcas A v.72. ;A refrigeratedzdisplaymasezhavingza display p ed auclosed about; itsgsidesgandmt ztherbottem :butopen at the-top.- foraccessztmcustomers rap =forated;;artic1e gisupn rting rack vlocated zinjsaid L-;displayspace-zand-zspacedzfromithe:bottom;ofxthe .7 xcasezso asto;cooperate;therewith:to forma n =air distributing :chamber, an air educt havin inlet openings 1 communicating with the cdis'play ssnac :near the top oftheecasezand having a dischar ropeningi;communicating-iwithisaidaa' adistnibu ring chambers a: blow eI-"; positioned 15 c rculatesiair through :said iduct land arinto @said :chamber; Je- ,frigerating aneansapositionedginisheatgzexchangin -:re1ationwitmthea thus-circula ed'au zza aa ;ternative air duct.cemmuuicatingat its IOWQEQIIG 315 with saidv -chaurber and -having ..-'Q 1t egnfiiiiggs located at a point above the normal level of articles in said display space but well below the top of said case to discharge air into the display case when the perforations in said article supporting rack are obstructed with merchandise.

3. A refrigerated display case having a display space closed about its sides and at the bottom but open at the top for access to customers, a perforated article supporting rack located in said display space and spaced from the bottom of the case so as to cooperate therewith to form an air distributing chamber, an air duct extending downward adjacent the rear wall of the case and having inlet openings communicating with the display space near the top of the case and having a discharge opening communicating with said air distributing chamber, a blower positioned to circulate air through said duct and into said chamber, refrigerating means located in said air duct to cool the air thus circulated, and an alternative air duct communicating at its lower end with said chamber and having outlet openings located at a point above the normal level of articles in said display space but well below the top of said case to discharge air into the display case when the perforations in said article supporting rack are obstructed with merchandise.

4. A refrigerated display case having a display space closed about its sides and at the bottom but open at the top for access to customers, a perforated article supporting rack located in said display space and spaced from the bottom of the case so as to cooperate therewith to form an air distributing chamber, an air duct having inlet openings communicating with the display space a near the top of the case and having a discharge opening communicating with said air distributing chamber, a blower positioned to circulate air through said duct and into said chamber, refrigerating means positioned in heat exchanging relation with the air thus circulated, and an alternative air duct communicating at its lower end with said chamber and having outlet openings located at a point above the normal level of articles in said display space but well below the top of said case to discharge air into the display case when the perforations in said articles supporting rack are obstructed with merchandise, said alternative air duct being arranged in heat exchanging relation with said refrigerating means so as to further cool the air on its passage through said alternative duct.

5. A refrigerated display case having a display space closed about its sides and at the bottom but open at the top for access to customers, a

perforated article supporting rack located in said display space and spaced from the bottom of the case so as to cooperate therewith to form an air distributing chamber, additional refrigerating means on the upper surface of the bottom of the case to cool air within the air distributing chamber, an air duct having inlet openings communicating with the display space near the top of the case and having a discharge opening communicating with said air distributing chamber, a blower positioned to circulate air through said duct and into said chamber, refrigerating means positioned in heat exchanging relation with the air thus circulated, and an alternative air duct communicating at its lower end with said chamber and having outlet openings located at a point above the normal level of articles in said display space but well below the top of said case to discharge air into'the display case when the perforations in said article supporting rack are obstructed with merchandise.

til

6. A refrigerated display case having a display space closed about its sides and at the bottom but open at the top for access to customers, a perforated. article supporting rack located in said display space and spaced from the bottom of the case so as to cooperate therewith to form an air distributing chamber, an air duct having inlet openings communicating with the display space near the top of the case and having a discharge opening communicating with said air distributing chamber, a blower positioned to circulate air through said duct and into said chamber, refrigerating means positioned in heat exchanging relation with the air thus circulated, and an alternative air duct communicating at its lower end with said chamber and having outlet openings located at a point above the normal level of articles in said display space but well below the top of said case to discharge air into the display case when the perforations in said article supporting rack are obstructed with merchandise, said alternative air duct being arranged in heat exchanging relation with said refrigerating means so as to further cool the air on its passage through said alternative duct, and air deflecting means located above the outlet openings of said alternative air duct for separating the air issuing therefrom from air returning to the inlet openings near the top of the case.

'7. A refrigerated display case having a display space which is closed about the sides and at its bottom but open at the top for access to customers, a perforated article supporting rack spaced from the bottom of the case and cooperating therewith to form an air distributing chamber, a bafiie member spaced from the rear wall of the case and cooperating therewith to form an air duct with an inlet opening communicating with the display space near the top of the case, refrigerating means located in said air duct, a fan housing communicating with the lower portion of said air duct and having a discharge opening communicating with said air distributing chamber, a fan in said housing for drawing air into said air duct through said inlet opening and causing it to flow over the refrigerating means to said air distributing chamber, a second bafiie member extending generally parallel to the first mentioned baflle member forming an alternative air duct communicating at its lower end with said air distributing chamber and provided at its upper end with air outlet openings located above the normal level of merchandise on said article supporting rack but well below the top of the case.

HARRY A. MORRIS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

